An ergatoid queen is reported for the first time in the ant genus Pheidole Westwood, 1839. Initially being investigated as a mermithergate, its true reproductive nature was finally proven after several years of searching for fresh specimens for dissection and imaging. Two possibilities remain unresolved regarding the reproductive strategy seen in the Philippine local populations of P. aglae: (1) that they are secondary reproductives; or (2) winged queens have been eliminated from the Philippine population due to isolation on oceanic islands. The exceptional reproductive strategy was found in the oceanic islands of Luzon and nearby Polillo. Further research is needed by taking account of the ``island syndrome''. This study also highlights the unexpected directions that problems in biological research take the researcher.